How I Got Where I Am Today

My husband and I love to reflect on where we are in our lives and where we have come from. Since the time that we met 7 years ago, a lot has changed. We went from new college students to newlyweds to homeowners to workers to parents-to-be. We would not have gotten where we are without help along the way.

Troy and I often look to the guidance from others to help us make our decisions. I have many people to thank for helping me become the person that I am today and want to reflect on how my parent's have helped me.

My mom- Each person in my family has helped me to learn little things about myself and has helped to shape me. My mom has played a big role in the person that I am today. My mom is always there to listen to whatever problem is going on and give advice. She is the person who is there to listen to every little mundane detail to a story that I tell and never acts bored or does not want to listen.

Growing up, my mom stayed at home with us kids. Although I plan to go back to work after the baby is born, I have learned traits from my mom that I want to use with my own daughter. I get out of work pretty early so when she is in school, I want to be there for her right after school so she can tell me about her day and I can talk to her about any issues that she is having.

My mom also taught us to stand up for what we believe in. She taught us to not let others put us down and to stand up for ourselves. Also, she taught us that if we have a problem with someone or if they are mad at us, to always talk it out. We were taught not to "sweep anything under the rug" which is something that I am so thankful for today. Instead of letting something build up, we talk things out which helps to diffuse almost any situation much faster than it would have been otherwise. This has helped me in situations with family, friends and even co-workers.


My dad- As I wrote about in my Money Management post, my dad has taught me so much about living in the real world. This relates to bills, saving money, earning money, making financial decisions and more. My dad to this day helps me to make different decisions. Sometimes, I am not sure what to do and ask him for advice. He is great about typing up an email weighing the pros and cons of almost any situation.

My dad also taught me the value of family. He had a bad family situation growing up and does not talk to any of his immediate family. He tells us that he knew he wanted different for his own family and has always been there for us kids. Starting when I was in 3rd grade, our family purchased a farm which we went to every weekend. In middle school and high school, sometimes I hated missing out on getting together with friends because we would be up north with family. Now, I am thankful for these experiences that have brought us closer together. My siblings and I are very close and I think that a lot of this has to do with the fact that we were taught the importance of family.

When I was single, when I met a guy, I would keep in mind his values with family. I was so lucky to find a guy who finds family to be the most important. My husband Troy would drop anything for family when they need him. I know that when our baby girl arrives in September, we will continue this strong value of family.

Like a good neighbor State Farm is there.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by State Farm via Mode Media.  The opinionsexpressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of State Farm.